Food Talk for Teens

Hi there! My name is Colton Taipale and I'm the face behind this blog. I started this blog with the goal of sharing my love of food with the world. I blog about various food facts, info, and tips. To learn more about me, check out my about page. (function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){ (i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o), m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m) })(window,document,'script','https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js','ga'); ga('create', 'UA-60981238-1', 'auto'); ga('send', 'pageview');

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For Anyone Noticing my Lack in Posting

For anyone that has been apart of the blog and the whole Food Talk for Teens community the last few years... Thank you for being apart of it!

And for anyone that has noticed I haven't been posting much lately. Well...

Over the last few years since starting, I've continued to try and learn who I really am, and what I came to notice, is that what I truly have a passion for, is baking. Even though I still like cooking.

About a little more than a year ago, I started a new blog called "The Baker's Life", and have been continuing to grow it ever since.

As of this year, It's officially a business, and I now have a few products up for sale on my website for it.

I have decided to go on to further build my new "The Baker's Life" business, and further my passion for baking.

Which is why I won't be posting much over here now.

So thank you everyone who has been apart of this journey with me as I've learned more about who I am!

And if you want to keep getting stuff from me, you can visit my new website - thebakerslife.com, or follow my new Facebook page - The Baker's Life.

Here's the link for that - https://www.facebook.com/mybakinglife

Thanks! -Colton

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Introducing...

I have something exciting to announce...

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Pie Birds

How often do you use your pie bird? Would you consider buying one if you don't already own one?

I'm working on a project that I can't wait to share with you in a couple of weeks and I'd love to hear your thoughts on what you think of pie birds!

Let me know your thoughts in the comments!

Also, could you do a favor and help me by sharing this post?

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Coming Soon...

Hey y’all! Just thought I’d drop in and say I’ve got a lot of exciting things coming your way! Keep an eye out here on the blog! Okay, here’s a hint of one of the things coming your way...

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The One & Only Apple

The apple is such a versatile fruit in the kitchen. It has so many uses ranging from..............

desserts, to snacks, and even savory. And let’s be honest, they can even be a breakfast, in a pie. It’s healthy, don’t worry! The apple itself has a bunch of nutrients, and you can include some protein in it by drinking a glass of milk with it! My family has a tradition of eating pie for breakfast on Thanksgiving, ranging from pumpkin most of the time, to berry pies, to coconut pie, and all sorts of pies! You can also make bread, dessert bars, chips, and so much more with apples! I never would have thought of using it in a savory dish, up until recently when I saw Bobby Flay on the Food Network use it in a mole sauce for a chicken dish. What’s your favorite dish to make with apples? Mine would probably be apple pie. In fact I made one just last week! I love this fruit regarding the fact that it goes together like the perfect match with fall spices. Their the perfect blend together. Like I’ve stated in the past, fall to me, beats all the other seasons. What would my top favorite apple of all time be you might ask? That answer would have to be granny smith. What about you? I love the sweet, tart and acidic flavor they have. The other neat thing about them is, not only do they taste great, but they are good for you. And to add to that, their something quick and easy to grab on the go. What do you enjoy making with apples? What’s your top favorite apple? 

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LET’S CATCH UP

It’s been a while since I lasted post here. And a lot has happened for me since I last posted. I’m starting to discover 

a bit more about me and who I want to be in the future. Lately I’ve been getting close to graduating high school. Which leads me to further look at what do I want to do next afterward? What do I want to go to college for? I haven’t mentioned this before, but I have recently over the last few years developed an interest in coding websites, and doing web design. In fact, just this last January, I finished up a recode/redesign of my parents website. With my interest in web design,  I just recently this last March decided to go and invest in learning some principles to it, with a neat course I found, and go further than just learning just by trial and error alone. So becoming a web developer in the future might be an option. Another idea might be to get into computer engineering. Back when I was much younger, I had an interest of pulling apart old electronics that broke apart. I was fascinated by just what all was inside those things! That interest is still there though. I’ve also thought about looking at getting into a field where I code software. This is all said, I haven’t completely left my passion for baking and cooking. I still enjoy it just as much as before. But I’m the type of person that likes to look at my options, and not just stick to one thing. So lately I’ve been a bit busy with a bunch of different things, and that’s the reason I haven’t been blogging lately. Further said, I’m back in the game! My plan is to start getting back to blogging as much as I can. Which makes me wonder, what should I blog start blogging about?  Any ideas? If you have any ideas, or requests, feel free to shoot me an email at foodtalkforteens(at)gmail.com. 

This aside. My favorite season of the year is almost here! Fall is my most favorite season out all the seasons. I love how the weather cools down. The excuse it leaves to bake a bunch. And especially the excuse to use all sorts of spices like cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg, etc. As well as the my most favorite ingredient of the season being pumpkin! What’s your favorite thing about Fall? What about your most favorite season? Let me know on the Food Talk for Teens Facebook group. I’d love to know!

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12 Days of Sweets | Day 12

Two of my favorite snacks are chocolate and pretzels! Especially combined! This recipe I haven’t yet tried, but I’m curious to. My vision of it is sweet, salty, gooey and crunchy. How could you go wrong! It combines caramel and chocolate of which you can’t go wrong with!

Here’s the recipe - foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/pretzel-turtles.html.

Note that today is the last day of 12 Days of Sweets. No need to worry, though! I’ll still be making post on this blog! 

Also, if you have any questions about food, or have an idea for a blog post you would like to see from me. Don’t be afraid to email me at -foodtalkforteens(at)gmail.com.

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12 Days of Sweets | Day 11

Fruit salads are an essential dish to any holiday table. Well, at least in my opinion! They lighten up the table from the rest of the heavy dishes! They are refreshing, sweet, and satisfying. What are one of my most favorites though? That’s easy! This 5 cup salad also called ambrosia is my favorite - allrecipes.com/recipe/230038/5-cup-salad. It’s also a quick and easy to put together in the mist of your holiday rush!

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12 Days of Sweet | Day 10

Coconut is a natural fruit that you can’t go wrong with! Especially when it comes to baking! 

There are many things you can bake when it comes to using this fruit. One of my favorite recipes, though, are coconut macaroons - foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/coconut-macaroons-recipe.html. These cookies are chewy and have a nice slight crunch from the coconut.

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12 Days of Sweets | Day 9

Chocolate and peppermint are a winning duo combination that I love. 

This said, why don’t we combine them into a cookie? So, last year I released a recipe which I’ve referenced in this series, for a lemon sandwich cookie. I figured, why not take this recipe that already has a good base, and modify it a bit by adding cocoa powder and peppermint extract in replacement for the lemon extract? The flour I decreased by the amount of cocoa, figuring cocoa is a dry ingredient. I also pulled out the filling. So why keep talking about it? Here’s the recipe...

Chocolate Peppermint Sandwich Cookies

Makes 56 Cookies Prep Time: 20 Minutes | Bake Time: 12 Minutes

Ingredients

Butter - 1 Stick

1/4 Cup Brown Sugar 

1/3 Cup White Sugar 

1 Egg

1 TSP Peppermint Extract 

1 3/4 Cups Flour

1/4 Cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

1/2 TSP Salt

1 TSP Baking Powder

1/2 Cup Semisweet Chocolate Chips (Not considered part of the dry ingredients.)

Directions

Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees. Cream your butter, then beat in your sugars until incorporated. Once this is done, beat in your egg and peppermint extract until these are incorporated as well. Next, using a separate bowl, blend together your dry ingredients. Make sure you sift your flour and cocoa powder as well as baking powder to avoid any lumps! Slowly blend your dry mixture into your butter mixture to avoid flour and cocoa going all over your kitchen. Lastly, stir in your chocolate chips, then shape your dough into about a 1/2 inch disc on a piece of plastic wrap. Chill for about 30 minutes, or until it appears to be hard enough to work with, but not to hard. Once your dough has chilled, roll it out about 3/8 inch thick on a floured cutting board to avoid sticking (I suggest doing this in two batches by splitting the dough in half down the middle). Cut into circles with a 1 and 3/4 inch cookie cutter and roll out again as need be. Bake them for about 12 minutes. Careful! They bake faster than you might expect, they were over baked for me already at 14 minutes!

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12 Days of Sweets | Day 8

Hot cocoa is a drink that I always look forward to having every Christmas! 

This drink is perfect for warming up from cold weather, can be customized to your own liking with your own flavor of marshmallows, and you can even add peppermint extract in replacement of vanilla extract! I’ve tried multiple hot cocoa’s so far, and I’ve also attempted a few times to make my own recipe for one. So I don’t have a recipe that I’ve adopted yet, but here’s one that I like -hersheys.com/pure-recipes/details.aspx?id=5672&name=.

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12 Days of Sweets | Day 7

Eggnog is a well known Christmas drink with wonderful seasonal flavors. It’s creamy and has warm spices. What about turning it into a pie, though? Stop it! I’m not sure where the recipe I use went. But here’s one I found that looks similar dangerously-delicious.com/no-bake-eggnog-pie-with-gingersnap-crust.

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12 Days of Sweets | Day 6

S’more’s are a perfect dessert for the cold weather.

They are chocolaty, have gooey marshmallows, and a slight crunch from graham crackers. What about elevating the standard s’more, though? Like using chocolate hazelnut spread instead of regular chocolate? Here’s a recipe that I tried a bit back that I liked. I don’t remember peanut butter in it, but it sounds like it would work well!

foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/chocolate-dipped-peanut-butter-smores-recipe.html

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12 Days of Sweets | Day 5

Russian tea cakes are a cookie that I love to have in the holiday season. 

They’re buttery, nutty, and have the perfect bite. This cookie has pecans which contribute to the texture. Here’s a recipe for them that I found - foodnetwork.com/recipes/anne-thornton/russian-tea-cakes-recipe2.html. This isn’t the exact recipe I use, but it looks like a good recipe. The recipe I use is a hand written recipe that I don’t have at the moment.

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12 Days of Sweets | Day 4

Marshmallows are a sweet treat that can be used in many ways. 

You can use it in hot cocoa, to Rice Krispie Treats, to fruit salads, to cookies, and so much more! But have you ever thought about making them? The process isn’t as hard as you might think! Nor does it take that much time either! Last Christmas season I made them for the first time, and they are so much better than the regular store bought! Did you know they have gelatin in them? They are a sweet and gooey treat that are hard to pass up. So, here’s the recipe I use - foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/homemade-marshmallows-recipe.html. What’s nice about them is that you can change the flavor up with different extracts, instead of the just the regular vanilla! I tried peppermint extract! And you can top them as well! Here’s one I tried with toasted coconut - foodnetwork.com/videos/toasted-coconut-marshmallows-0134196.html.

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THE FOOD TALK FOR TEENS GIFT SET COLLECTION

So for the past few months I’ve been working on a project that I’ve been eager to share with you. Here’s the news... 

As of yesterday, I released The Food Talk for Teens gift set collection. This is a group of three gift sets to choose from. Ranging from the very beginner in mind to the home cook or baker with a true heart in cooking and baking. You can order yours by going to gumroad.com/foodtalkforteens.

The Foodie Stocking 

Includes a few of the key pieces any beginner needs to get started in the kitchen.

The Foodie Beginner 

Has the core elements to get any home cook or baker started cooking or baking.

The Foodie Advanced

The next level up set. This kit includes most everything you need to make a batch of cookies, to a batch of brownies, to a batch of - well let’s just stop here and say you can make a lot of things with it!

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12 Days of Sweets | Day 3

You can’t go a holiday season without having peppermint!

Recently I came across a recipe for a white chocolate peppermint mouse pie. I have a love for white chocolate, so I couldn’t pass this one up! The whipped cream and peppermint flavor in this pie lighten up the white chocolate. And to top it all off, it has a chocolate sandwich cookie crust! Here’s the recipe i used - dinnersdishesanddesserts.com/peppermint-white-chocolate-mousse-pie.